Our Mission in 69 words

producing juices made from wonky fruit and veg that otherwise would be discarded

tackling food waste - save 300 tonnes of Wonky produce by April 2017

reducing packaging waste by 70%

providing training to first year students and help them to get experience and grow confidence in their chosen field

supporting growers that can't shift wonky produce

donating to the children’s charity Barnardo’s

The Wonky Enterprise

Here at Wonky drinks we are a group of passionate and hard working students, who has created a robust solution to provide healthy and sustainable drinks for everyone. The concept is to deliver reusable dispensing packs of carbon neutral juice to workplace canteens, universities & food-services - saving wonky fruit and veg from becoming food waste.

Good for the Earth? We think that 'tastes good' and 'does good' is possible. So, we decided to turn wonky fruit into healthy and delicious drinks - that contribute to one of your five a day!

Too many misshapen fruit and vegetables are simply thrown away all across Europe every day, despite their delightful taste. All of this drives us crazy, so we're on mission to fix it! The status quo is such that our land, water and fertilizers are all being put to inefficient use; worst of all, it's the farmer that has to bear the brunt of these costs.

Here at Wonky, we are offering farmers a 70% return on their unfortunately shaped fruit and vegetables. This is a huge improvement to their previous option – putting a portion of their livelihood straight back into the ground. These out-dated systems have contributed to growing waste, and disadvataged farmers for years. We are determined to put a stop to these injustices to the agriculture sector.

Not only are our juices delicious, but they help a lot of people. Our partnership with the University of South Wales allows us to give experience and training to first year students - to help them grow confidence in their chosen field. Also, for each wonky drink sold we want to donate to Barnardo's, and reinvest all remaining profits into saving even more food from going to waste. Happy days!

Our boxes are compact, transport and storage efficient with a low carbon footprint. The juice is ambient, so it does not require refrigerating. Our drinks don't contain nasties such as powders, oils, infusions, acids... just wonky fruit and nothing else! Smart packaging is a sustainable solution for the increasing waste in the UK. Each 5 litre carton box replaces between 15 and 25 plastic bottles or tetra packs and environmentally friendly cups. They cuts packaging waste by 70% compared to plastic bottles, and therefore have a low carbon footprint.

Our partnership with the Univeristy of South Wales (USW) allows us to help students at the very beginning of their studies, providing them with essential work experience that helps cultivate their skills and career prospects. We cooperate with the Work Placement Officer for USW to support students that could benefit from our training.

These students, mostly ages 18-20, struggle to find work at this stage in their development – we offer them this crucial opportunity. With the help of our expertise, they can nurture talents in areas such as graphic design, communication skills and social media marketing; this boosts their employability and offers them a brighter future.

How do our students think about WONKY!?

Zoe: 'I am so excited about joining Wonky Drinks. I have never had chance to learn about effective design and creating brand identities. With a lack of previous experience, I would have otherwise struggled to work as a designer. To get this level of training and gudance at this stage of my life is awesome. I am learning how to shape a cool project and help to get Wonky Drinks off the ground. I really hope to see Wonky juices on the shelves soon, and will be so proud to have been a part of it.'

Anne: 'Just like Zoe, I have struggled to get internship placements. I don't have any experience at designing products and wouldn't feel confident in a leadership role. I feel like Wonky gives me the chance to learn a lot in a safe and friendly environment, all the while building my CV and meeting new and interesting people. Zoe and myself have already bonded over our involvement in this project!'

Josh 'I'm a 1st year ... student, but became drawn to entrepreneurship by joining a society during my first term. I have had little experience in commercial design and marketing in a start up environment, but was over the moon when Wonky took me on board to help boost these skills. The sustainable nature of the project fascinated me, so I really couldn't say no when Maciek and Karina offered to help!'

Success so far!

Our concept has been validated by our happy customers. What is more we have trialled our product in a variety of catering settings. We have received first orders from Baxter Storey, Universities across the UK, WeWork, Caterwings, independent caterers and shops across the UK. Also we won a competition held at University of South Wales in September 2016 and just received a grant from Welsh Government to introduce compostable smoothie cups made from potato starch! Now we need your help to save 300 tonnes of produce by April 2017!

Why are we crowdfunding?

We have already designed professional sales materials, now it's a time to make them real!

And obviously produce the very first batch of Wonky Drinks :)

About Wonky

The Wonky idea originated from my childhood memories. As a child I used to spend my holidays helping my grandparents and parents in our family orchard. The fruit became all the things I love, like apple pie, jam and my favourite – fresh juice. Years later, when I saw how many artificial ingredients were in the juice we drink, I decided to make my dream come true and launch my own juice company. I wanted to share the fresh taste of my family orchard through a natural juice with just fruit, nothing else. Then I met Karina who open my eyes to problem of food waste and sustainability. This is how Wonky Drinks begun.

Maciek - Co-founder of Wonky Drinks

REWARDS

We've got some great rewards on offer in return. You can find them on the right/below of this text. These includes T-shirts, hoodies and lots of juice, so that's a great chance to make Wonky surprise to your family or friends!

NB! For rewards outside of the UK, please add £5!

Every pledge counts

Once again, think of our project as doing good for the environment. Pledge to our project and GIVE WONKY FRUIT A CHANCE!